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4L60-E removal advice

Shauno96

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Hi

I'm in the process of removing the transmission from a VR S2 executive and I'm stuck on the torque converter to flywheel bolts..while I can access them easy enough thru the hole where the starter motor was those bolts won't budge, me and 2 of my friends have tried and none of us can crack even one of them (even with a high quality kincrome socket set..).My friend says the bolts are probably done up with loctite and I may need a compressor n air wrench to get them loose.

My friend also says it should b possible to remove the tranny from the engine whilst leaving the torque converter bolted to the flywheel as the torque converter is just "fitted" into the tranny and not bolted so will just "come apart"..then I can remove the TC from the flywheel once tranny is out.

My questions are i guess, is it true u can remove it whilst leaving TC bolted to flywheel without causing damage or is my mate way off on that one? Also if it is ok to do it that way is there anything I should be aware of before or whilst trying it that way?
If it isn't recommended to do it that way then has anyone got any tips on how to crack those converter bolts as they are the only bolts to remove and it's free to start separating the tranny from the engine and
lowering it...only ideas I've had are a) jam a screwdriver in the flywheel to lock it up and try then or b) lock the crankshaft pulley with a breaker bar and hope the torque converter bolts give before the crankshaft bolt does as the flywheel keeps shifting while trying to crack them, even with someone holding the crankshaft from moving with a breaker bar..

Please help as I am seriously stuck here and don't want to buy a compressor n air wrench ($250AU) for 3 bolts if I don't absolutely have to lol =)

P.s
I should probably take this point to thank you all for the great advice within this forum as without it I never would have even got to this stage of the tranny removal or fixed the many other things on my commodore I have fixed over the years myself and saved a small fortune in mechanic bills doing so.. Thanks again!
 

someguy360

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Yes it is true you can remove the trans while the TC is still bolted on but if you are doing it in a driveway it will be near impossible due to the angles of the shafts etc.....you will just end up breaking something....you can only really do it on a hoist or when the engine/trans is out of the car

I have always found using a breaker bar is easiest to crack the bolts off the flexplate...if you are just trying to use a standard socket set you will never get the amount of force you need to get it, especially since they usually have loctite on them.

A cheap breaker bar can be had for as little as $20, that will be what you need


Also why are you trying to get access through the starter hole instead of the inspection cover between the bellhousing and engine, thats where you are meant to do it, if you are doing a straight transmission swap you don't need to remove the starter...that just adds more work
 

Brett_jjj

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You cant really remove and refit the transmission without removing the torque converter because when refitting the torque converter to the transmission, it has to be spun around by hand whilst its being being pushed back into the transmisison, it will click back into the trans 2 or 3 times before its properly seated in the trans. If you try to mate up the trans to the engine without first having the converter correctly seated in the trans , it will stuff the transmission pump etc..
Also as mentioned above, undo the torque converter bolts through the inspection cover, not through the starter opening.
 
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Cheap6

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Two days ago so maybe it's been sorted but FWIW:

You won't get the trans. out without removing the beaming brace (inspection cover - sort of) first.

The bolts do have thread sealer applied to them (and should have some reapplied when they are refitted).

You will get more torque by hand and sufficient leverage than with an air gun. The guns are fast not strong.

Yes, you can lock the flex plate from turning with a flat bar/flat blade screwdriver (not a good one)/tyre lever in a ring gear tooth and held against the block. Even better is to spend 20 minutes and $20 to knock up the tool that will hold the balancer against the chassis rail. There are a couple of descriptions of that on here if you search under crank angle sensor replacement. One of the non-genuine workshop manuals contains plans for one variation on the tool.
 

Shauno96

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Hi
I didn't think leaving the TC attached to flywheel idea sounded like a good idea when I heard it..glad I checked with u guys.

I tried to undo the TC bolts while my mate was holding the crankshaft still at the 24mm bolt which seemed to keep the crank still enough to get some force but couldn't crack them.

I used a 30cm hollow steel tube as a breaker bar to undo the bell housing bolts.

Ok so I scrap the leaving the TC on flywheel idea and get those TC bolts off with a breaker, just gotta lock up the flywheel to crack them...

Where is this "inspection cover" as only way to those bolts I can see is thru starter opening?
This is my 1st time doing this so forgive me if I seem stupid lol!
 

Brett_jjj

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You need to get yourself a workshop manual to follow. The inspection cover is between the trans and engine at the bottom, and it has a couple of bolts that hold it in place.
 

ephect

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Its the plastic cover on the underside of the trans.. Viewable from under the car
 

someguy360

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it's this

mhUgGL7qpGbvNim3dpkoOZQ.jpg


you would have had to remove it to separate the trans from the block
 

Jxfwsf

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except on a vr v6 it's like the vn/vp, also bolted to the back 6 sump bolts.
May need to raise the engine off the kframe to get it off completely, should be able to just remove the small bolts from the bell housing and leave it there... never tried this myself....
 
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